Defining the 'Strano': Madness in Renaissance Italy

Abstract

This thesis explores the different ways madness was defined and treated in Italian texts from the early fifteenth century through to the late sixteenth century. Although this thesis investigates how and why people were categorised as mad, various sources have shown that the treatment of these individuals varied according to different social, cultural and political contexts. In some cases madness was seen as an undesirable expression of social deviance and in other cases, a venerated symbol of wisdom. In light of these discrepancies, social structures stigmatised and often alienated those considered ‘strano’ (‘strange’) acted as powerful punitive and organisational mechanisms.